Goa police launch hunt for ‘missing’ Pakistani student

Panaji, Dec 16 (IANS) On their toes following specific inputs from intelligence agencies about a possible terror strike in Goa, the state police have launched a manhunt for a passenger believed to be a Pakistani student who went ‘missing’ after he arrived on a British charter flight here three days ago. At present, the only piece of evidence linking the missing passenger Asim Naz is a certificate issued by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education based in Pakistan’s Gujranwala region, which was found abandoned near the arrival lounge of the Dabolim airport.

Police enquiry has revealed that the certificate was found near the luggage hold of a charter flight which had just flown in from Manchester, Britain, Dec 13. The certificate issued in 2003 also states that Asim Naz is the son of Sanalalah Tur, also from Gujranwala.

“What’s most baffling is that neither the name Asim Naz nor that of his father, features in the passenger manifestos of all the flights which landed at Dabolim airport that day. Neither on the regular commercial flights nor on any charter carriages,” police officials told IANS.

The district police, immigration department officials and the special branch are now in the process of physically verifying each of the passengers who disembarked on Saturday, especially the 300 odd passengers who arrived in Goa on board the charter flight from Manchester.

Speaking to IANS, Deputy Superintendent of Police Deu Benaulikar claimed that one person was arrested after he was found moving suspiciously near the airport.

“He turned out to be a Nepali and was identified as Suking Bazracharya. He had nothing to do with the certificate. He had flown in from Kathmandu via Mumbai,” the police officer said, adding that Suking was released after questioning.